Microsoft & Oracle Announce Certification Changes

There’s always something going on in the certification world. Microsoft Corp. recently announced its latest round of exams due for retirement, as well as introducing some new exams to the Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) track. And on a different note, Oracle University has extended the deadline for its hands-on course requirement from June 15, 2002 to Sept. 1, 2002.

Microsoft’s two newest exams—#70-306, Developing and Implementing Windows-based Applications with Microsoft VisualBasic .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, and #70-316, the Microsoft Visual C# .NET version of the exam, count toward the Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) and the MCSD. Other exams in the MCSD track are just finishing up the beta process: #70-305, Developing and Implementing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, and #70-315, the Microsoft C# .NET version of the exam. And some exams in the MCSD track are still in development. Live versions of exam #70-310, Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework and #70-320, the Microsoft C# .NET version of the exam, are expected to be released in September 2002. Another interesting exam in development, #70-214, Implementing and Administering Security in a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network, will be released in its beta version in November 2002. This exam will count as an elective in the MCSA and MCSE tracks. Seehttp://www.microsoft.com/traincert for more information.

Nine exams will be retired by Microsoft as of June 30, 2003. The exams scheduled for retirement are:

In the last CertMag EXTRA, we talked about new requirements for the Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) database administrator track. Oracle University announced a new instructor-led/hands-on course requirement that applies to candidates seeking Oracle 9i DBA certification after June 15, 2002, but that deadline has been extended to Sept. 1, 2002, to allow candidates more time to get used to the idea. For more information, go to http://www.oracle.com/education/certification.

People3: Base Salary for IT Professionals Increased 5.1 Percent

It’s been a rough year for IT pros, what with downsizing and decreasing IT funds. But a new survey from people3 bears good news, reporting that the average base salary for all IT jobs in 2002 increased 5.1 percent over 2001. According to the study by people3, a Gartner Inc. company, the average base salary for all IT jobs in 2002 increased to $67,900, and total cash compensation increased 6.1 percent, to $72,900. The study also showed that the best way to retain IT employees in 2002 was by offering competitive market-based pay, followed by offering a competitive benefits package and strong IT leadership and vision.

People3’s 2002 IT Market Compensation study is based on a survey submitted by 153 organizations representing compensation data for 33,771 IT employees in the United States. The study is published annually by people3 and includes information on recruitment, retention, reward, recognition, work/life and career development issues.

The 2002 IT Market Compensation study also reported the positions that take the longest time to fill on average are security manager and database administrator, which take an average of just over three months to fill. Companies reported the greatest difficulty in recruiting people with UNIX skills. Microsoft SQL Server skills and Java skills came in second and third, respectively. What does that mean to you? If you’re having a hard time finding work, consider getting some training and experience in database and security technologies.

Is your organization going to implement IP telephony anytime soon? InfoTech, a market research and consulting firm, reports that 91 percent of large firms and 61 percent of small and medium-sized firms plan to implement IP telephony by 2004. Because of this increase in demand for IP telephony, there is a growing skills gap for professionals with hands-on training and experience on the technology. Enter Logilent Learning Systems Inc. and Advanced Network Information Inc. (ANI).

Logilent is an IT training provider that specializes in providing live hands-on access to network devices via the Internet, and it is partnering with ANI to co-develop various LiveLabs for Cisco IP Telephony technologies. In addition, as part of the agreement, ANI will resell and integrate Logilent’